“When I feel well all over, I study and learn better” - experiences of good conditions for health and learning in schools in the Arctic region of Sweden

ABSTRACT

A challenge facing the Arctic region is the disengagement of both education and work among its youth. Only by supporting young people who are struggling with mental and physical health challenges can we begin to address this societal challenge. Education, mental health and social inclusion are prominent factors for future employment, income and independent living for young people. The aim of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of good conditions for health and learning in schools in the Arctic region. The 5-D appreciative inquiry method was used to explore 47 students’ and professionals’ experiences and future visions of their school. A phenomenological analysis resulted in three themes: “Standing as one”, “Having an apple a day”, and “Finding the end of the rainbow”. The findings revealed the necessity of promoting health and learning simultaneously in school and viewing health holistically. Health-promoting relationships permeate the findings of good conditions for health and learning. We argue for considering mandatory health education to increase students’ health literacy and making student participation and staff collaboration a priority in schools in the Arctic region. These findings, their practical implications, and future research directions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Arctic region
• health promotion
• health literacy
• education
• learning
• participatory
• qualitative method

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the 47 participants, the head of education, the development manager at the participating municipality, and the parents for making this study possible. This work was supported by the Norrbotten Association of Local Authorities and the Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology. This work was funded by the Swedish National Agency for Education and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond – the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Science by their financing of the national Flexit Research Program.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond [RMP17-0240:2].